Tracklisting:

1) Lost (Season One) – Camp Cope
2) Johnny – Basement Revolver
3) Can U Hear Me Now? – Porridge Radio
4) All 4s – ARMS
5) If You’re on the Water – The Saxophones
6) In Ribbons – Psychic Shakes
7) a good pet – Real Swell
8) Breadcrumbs – The Perennials
9) Father is a Craftsman – Modern Studies
10) Aligning With the Sun – Dear Tracks
11) Cake Bath – Cloud Cover
12) Postdoc Blues – John K. Samson
13) Room For Love – Wooden Dinosaur
14) Crab Line – Trust Fund
15) 1 – Young Jesus
16) Life’s Rough – Serial Chiller
17) Never Lonely – Space Mountain
18) I Wish I Was Plural – Free Space
19) More Than Science – Sunshine Faces
20) Maya – Competition
21) Fireball – Albosel
22) It Hurts- A Day Without Love
23) That Went Well- Guppy
24) Kids Playing Outside – Almanac Mountain
25) Patience To Undo the Patience – Psalmships

You can check out the previous monthly roundups here, and our various other playlists and mixtapes here. Be sure to pop back throughout September and beyond to see what autumn brings!

The post August 2016 Roundup appeared first on Various Small Flames.

The dream-like French surreality of the intro gives way to the self-titled first track proper, over 8 minutes of lo-fi synth pop, Pollard’s vocals recounting repeated lyrics that read almost like a diary entry.

“I text to call you in Paris
you had an accident cycling
you got on the Eurostar to London
we played in London and you came”

Pollard’s voice is almost feline on ‘Maya’, before the swaying, disrupted groove of ‘clouds’, which sounds almost steam-powered, clanking along over a reflective synth line. The vocals echo around like thoughts inside Pollard’s head; “I might get a dog”, he muses, “seriously though I’ll probably get a dog”. ‘plinth’ opens in a hive-like whine, slowly crystallizing into a shimmering pop song, the wordless vocals acting as another instrument in the mix. The track is a good illustration of the album as a whole, of the way Competition makes music that is undeniably lo-fi yet somehow makes sense, like a magic spell conjured from tape hiss and an automatic drum machine.

The closing track is the second to break the eight minute barrier, although if that sounds off-putting then rest assured it’s one of the poppiest, most accessible on the tape.

“Take my hand and you’ll see
take my hand and just follow me”

You can get clean eating on glittery cassette tape or digital download via the Competition Bandcamp page. And if you like what you hear you can also check out Pollard’s other project, Rice Milk and his work with Good Food tapes and zines.

Cover art by Cecilia Serafini

The post Competition – clean eating appeared first on Various Small Flames.

1st place: Signed Chalkie print, and swag bag
2nd place: 12 month subscription to the NME (subject to change, ha!)
3rd place: £25 SeeTickets Voucher
Runner up prizes: 5 contestants will receive a Chalkie swag bagBe sure to follow the correct museum Twitter and Tumblr accounts so they can contact you should you win. The closing date for entries is 21 August 2015. All further details (including Ts&Cs) can be found on the Museum Wales website. UK residents only I’m afraid.

All Photos © Chalkie Davies

The post Chalkie Davies Photography Competition appeared first on Various Small Flames.